Rachael Gunn has been accused of intentionally scoring zero points for Australia at the Olympics.
The sensational claim came from indigenous leader and sports administrator Megan Davis, as the Australian breakdancer’s disastrous performance in Paris continues to divide opinion.
Gunn, 36, known by the stage name Raygun, was He was mercilessly mocked for his “embarrassing” performance who saw her score three zeros in a row in the Olympic debut of this sport.
Her mental health is being monitored amid an online outcry after fans criticised the creative arts researcher at Sydney’s Macquarie University, who specialises in “the cultural politics of breakdancing”.
Amid the barrage of abuse, Raygun has also gained a legion of new fans who praised her for trying against rivals more than half her age.
But Davis, the NRL commissioner and key force behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart, is firmly in the opposite camp and described the academic’s performance as a “disgrace”.
“Purposely getting zero points in three rounds for taxpayer-funded academic study at both the university and Olympic level is not fun and it is not ‘getting lucky,'” he said on social media via The Australian‘It is a lack of respect towards the other competitors.
‘I’m glad most Australians don’t buy the Kool-Aid.
“It’s a narrative that’s totally driven by the mainstream media, because they see themselves in it: a well-off woman, comfortable life, educated, not a care in the world, not really caring. How funny, what a funny Australian girl, laugh, laugh.”
An indigenous leader accused Raygun of scoring zero points on purpose in Paris
The 36-year-old Australian breaker suffered a disastrous performance at the Olympics
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick revealed on Monday that Gunn received government funding to study breaking at university.
He cited Raygun’s official profile at Macquarie University in a Facebook post after it went viral, noting that he received taxpayer subsidies to study breakdancing at the institution.
“There has been a lot of talk about Australia’s breakdancing representative at the Olympics,” Senator Rennick posted.
‘I’m more interested in her current profession. She attended Macquarie University for her BA in contemporary music, graduating in 2009, and her PhD in cultural studies, graduating in 2017.
The Australian has revealed that Gunn has not received any grants from the Australian Sports Commission or Macquarie University, and that the only public grant she received was in November 2022 – a one-year fee of $20,278 to lead a research study called ‘Spaces for Street Dance’.
The Australian Olympic Committee paid for their return flights to Paris.
The ASC has provided more than $47 million in grants to support some athletes competing at the Games, but its funding report says Gunn received no financial support.
Gunn’s credentials as a breaker have also been called into question. She earned her place in Paris by winning the Oceania Breaking Championships last year, and has also competed at the World Championships in Paris in 2021, Seoul in 2022 and Belgium last year.
But her fellow Olympians embraced her at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
However, her selection has sparked a debate about sporting inclusion in Australia.
But critics have suggested Raygun’s selection was a reflection of the “whiteness” of Australian sporting culture.
“There are amazing dancers in places like Western Sydney (just one example), where Black and Brown people are honing their skills and craft in arenas not recognised by established institutions,” Neha Madhok, co-founder and former CEO of political advocacy group Democracy in Colour, wrote on social media.
‘This is a reflection on the whiteness of Australian sport and Australian attitudes.
“We could have sent amazing people, the talent is there, but you have to go where the people are.”
Raygun has also been defended and credited by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for giving her best in Paris.
“Raygun got a chance, good for her, and a big shout out to her,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“It’s part of the Australian tradition that people are encouraged to try it. She has tried it representing our country, and that’s a good thing.
“Whether they won gold medals or did their best, that’s all we ask. What really matters is participation.”